What Fruit Trees to Plant Next to Each Other

Some types of fruit trees can pollinate themselves. These self-fertile fruit tree types includes apricots, figs, persimmon, grapes and most types of peaches. In the case of these types of trees, it really doesn’t matter what other trees are planted next to them. They can take care of their pollination needs on their own.

However, in the case of self-sterile fruit trees such as apple, pear, cherry and nut, they require a pollenizer, or another tree within striking distance that can pollinate them. In these cases, other similar fruit trees should be planted at a distance of no more than 50 feet. The ripening cycles of fruit trees span the months of May through November, and the density of orchards of self-sterile fruit trees depends largely on the amount of land available and the amount of fruit that the grower wishes to ultimately harvest.

Fruit Trees Need Particular Conditions

There are other conditions of course that are critical besides the types of trees that sit adjacent to any sapling. Among these is the guarantee that the trees will receive at least six hours of sunlight per day when the weather is clear, to a depth of well-drained soil of three feet or more. Fruit trees can be planted at any time of year, with the best candidates having a trunk diameter of between a half-inch and five-eighths of an inch.

Tree Selection

One option for tree selection is to intersperse one kind of self-fertile species with one or more self-sterile ones. Peach trees in such an arrangement could be placed anywhere, in and-or around a grouping of apple or pear trees. Only the latter need to be within a certain proximity of each other, with of course the space in between each self-sterile tree such as a pear or apple one leaving ample room for self-fertile ones in between.